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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29293464">Unplug</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles'>mcschnuggles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Schnugg's Regressuary 2021 [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Adventure Zone (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CGRE - Caregiver/Age Regressor, Caregiver!Kravitz, Gen, Regressing!Taako, Social Media</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:23:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29293464</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Taako's Twitter following has been on the rise lately, but Kravitz is worried he might be spending too much time online.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Schnugg's Regressuary 2021 [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138382</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Regressuary, Regressuary 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unplug</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>      Taako can’t stop watching his follower count.</p><p>      It’s not his fault that he’s famous, amazing, talented, and cool, and double not his fault that people are naturally drawn to that.</p><p>      His new cooking video is getting mad views. He’s not sure why this one in particular is popping off—it’s just him and Magnus fucking around over pasta—but the views he’s getting are crazy, which in turn, means he’s getting a lot of Twitter followers.</p><p>      Taako can’t help it. He eats that shit up. Watching the number go higher and higher every minute, checking his mentions and seeing the fanart he’s been tagged in—it gives him a high hard drugs could never.</p><p>      The next question is, what to do next? Because he can’t tweet immediately, or else people will correctly assume he spends most of his free time checking Twitter. Maybe he’ll tweet out something later this evening, pretending to be shocked about the numbers like he hasn’t been watching them with glee all afternoon. Maybe he’ll vague about Sazed, just because he can.</p><p>      “Darling, you’ve been staring at your phone for the last ten minutes.” Kravitz points out.</p><p>      “Sorry, boo.” Taako puts his phone down, resisting the urge to grab it when it immediately buzzes with new notifications.</p><p>      Kravitz chuckles. “You certainly are popular today.”</p><p>      Kravitz doesn’t understand social media, nor does he pretend to. Honestly, that’s why Taako started dating him. It was nice to have someone you know off the bat isn’t in it for the clout.</p><p>      However, while Kravitz has no understanding of social media stuff, that also means he has no understanding of social media stuff. Anything that Taako tells him goes right over his head, and the phrase “ten million subscribers” doesn’t mean anything to him.</p><p>      Taako’s phone buzzes again, and it makes his heart leap. Most people don’t realize that even the buzzes are slightly different, but Taako knows that one well. That’s his email buzz, and his mind is suddenly racing with possibilities. Sponsorship offers, invitations to speak, a book deal.</p><p>      He feels Kravitz’s judgmental eyes on him as he snatches up his phone, shoving Twitter notification after Twitter notification out of the way to get to his email. His phone is still blowing up, with new mentions and followers pouring in every second, but he pushes that all aside in favor of his email.</p><p>      Which is informing him about the new sales for Zappos.</p><p>      “Fucking Zappos.” Taako mutters, dropping his phone beside him on the couch with an unceremonious thump.</p><p>      Kravitz leans forward, all soft eyes and sympathy. Taako hates it when he does that, because it usually means he’s about to be asked to do something he doesn’t want to do.</p><p>      Worse yet, he’ll most likely listen.</p><p>      “Love, I hate to pry, but you’ve been stuck to that thing all day. It might be best if you took a step back.” Kravitz says. “Perhaps some time regressed would help take your mind off things?”</p><p>      “You’re right,” Taako says. “You’re always right.” He probably wouldn’t be as agreeable if he wasn’t being guaranteed undivided attention, but it’s hard to say no when he’s trading phone privileges for cuddles. Taako reclines, resting his head in Kravitz’s lap. “What are the rules, home slice?”</p><p>      Kravitz smiles down on him, in that way that makes him feel like the center of the universe. “No phones. No computers. No cooking.”</p><p>      Taako frowns. That third one could be a dealbreaker if he doesn’t get some bomb-ass snuggles to make up for it. “Can I get carried?”</p><p>      Kravitz lifts an eyebrow. “You know how heavy you are.”</p><p>      Taako crosses his arms, relieved to feel the soft lull of headspace starting to fall around him. “<em>Maggie</em> carries me no problem.”</p><p>      “Well, <em>Maggie</em> is built like brick shithouse and bench-presses his friends for fun,” Kravitz points out. He threads his fingers through Taako’s bangs.</p><p>      Taako pouts harder. It’s a game, to get Kravitz to crack and giggle, to see how long he can pout until he gets his way. With Kravitz, it’s always a toss-up if he will or not. He won’t automatically say no like Lup used to.</p><p>      “I’m gonna call Maggie instead,” Taako threatens.</p><p>      “And with what phone?”</p><p>      Taako’s face drops, and it must look hilarious, because Kravitz can’t contain his laughter.</p><p>      “I’m sorry, love,” he manages between breaths. “I’m not laughing at you, I swear!”</p><p>      Taako bolts upright, crossing his arms. “Now I want Maggie <em>and</em> a lawyer!”</p><p>      “A lawyer? Whatever for?”</p><p>      “A divorce!”</p><p>      “I’m terribly sorry you feel that way. Do you think some juice would smooth over such a rough patch in our marriage?”</p><p>      Taako considers. “Apple only.”</p><p>      Kravitz smiles, the kind of smile that squinches his eyes and lights up his entire face. “Apple juice coming right up.”</p><p>      Taako listens to him go, not bothering to get up. He’s rather comfy against the couch cushions, thank you very much. He wouldn’t mind falling asleep here, and if Kravitz won’t carry him, he might just have to if he wants to show he means business.</p><p>      Taako yawns, about to drift off a bit when he hears a familiar buzz…</p><p>      He immediately looks in the direction of the kitchen, to find Kravitz still gone. It wouldn’t hurt to check his phone just once, right? It’s not like he’d be glued to the thing, and he’ll put it right back! Besides, Kravitz just put it on the coffee table. If he hadn’t wanted Taako to check his notifications, he should’ve made his phone harder to get to.</p><p>      Taako turns on the screen to find the same flood of notifications as before. Followers and mentions and subscribers are still pouring in, as well as a few texts. There’s a congratulatory text from Magnus, which includes the fact that his channel has been doing better as well. Taako grins. Looks like it’s going to be a good week for both of them.</p><p>      “Taako,” Kravitz warns. He can’t see Taako’s holding his phone from where he’s standing, but it’s not that hard of a conclusion to come to. “You better not be doing what I think you’re doing.”</p><p>      Taako straightens up, flashing the biggest, most innocent smile he can manage. From the look on Kravitz’s face, it works as well on him as it used to on Auntie. “Nope! Don’t even know what you’re talking about—<em>that’s</em> how little I’m doing what you think I’m doing.”</p><p>      It might have been a little more convincing if the phone weren’t still in his hands.</p><p>      “Love.” Kravitz sits to better look Taako in the eye. He hates to hover, especially if they need to have a serious conversation.</p><p>      Taako appreciates that. It makes him feel appreciated, like his voice will be heard even if he’s tiny and irrational and being contrarian on purpose.</p><p>      “I know this is hard for you to let go of, but it really is for the best. You can’t be enjoying yourself hooked up to the internet like that all the time.”</p><p>      Taako wants to argue that it feels great <em>now</em>, now that he’s successful and getting loads of attention every day. It wasn’t good when he was just starting out, when he’d frantically refresh Twitter just to make sure he hadn’t lost followers. Back when every subscriber and follower counted because if he lost even one, it caused such a massive blow to his ego that he’d be thinking about it for the rest of the day.</p><p>      Now that he was on the upswing, that the numbers kept going and going and going, it couldn’t be better, right?</p><p>      However, those retorts are drowned out by his smaller side, reminding him that he’s a lot more tired than he should be, that answering so many texts and tweets and comments every single day is wearing him out more than he would ever let on.</p><p>      “You know I don’t understand this all that much, but I just want you to be happy. Do you think that, for the rest of the night, you could let me have the phone?”</p><p>      What would be the harm in letting go for one day?</p><p>      “But what if there’s an emergency?” Taako whimpers.</p><p>      It’s a weak excuse, but it’s one that always lingers in the back of his mind. They have a home phone, but no one knows the number. If Magnus or Angus were hurt, they’d call Taako’s cell.</p><p>      “Then I’ll take care of it,” Kravitz answers calmly. It’s now, looking at his soft, kind expression, that Taako is once again reminded of how he doesn’t deserve Kravitz. “I’ll check your phone in case something important happens, but that would mean you’d have to trust me. Can you do that, love? Can you trust me with this?”</p><p>      He’d trust Kravitz with his life. Hell, he’d trust Kravitz with his <em>Twitter password</em>. It’s not about trust. It’s about letting go. And the one thing Taako never had the safety to learn was how to let go.</p><p>      Kravitz sets aside the sippy cup in his hands. For a split second, Taako fears he might be trying to take the phone by force, but he only gently runs his hands through Taako’s hair, and that only makes Taako feel worse. Why does he always have to jump to the worst conclusions?</p><p>      “Darling, I know this is hard for you,” Kravitz says, like a brat who won’t give up the phone is a situation worthy of such softness. “But I really think this will help. Even if it’s just for a few hours. You can have your phone first thing in the morning, alright? Any time away from it is progress, understand?”</p><p>      Taako’s eyes burn with what are most definitely <em>not</em> tears, which he doesn’t need to rapidly blink away or swallow back the sob that comes with it. “Okay.”</p><p>      Kravitz pauses. “Okay?”</p><p>      “Okay,” Taako repeats. He pries the phone from his chest, fighting back the urge to cradle it next to his heart. “Take it. It’s yours.”</p><p>      “Are you sure?”</p><p>      Taako nods.</p><p>      Kravitz’s shoulders fall in relief, his face splitting into a kind, genuine smile. It’s in these split seconds that Taako thinks he could give it all up, just retire to a home in the mountains and live off Kravitz’s smiles alone. “Thank you, love. What do you think we should do before bed? A movie?”</p><p>      Taako yawns, knowing full well he won’t make it more than thirty minutes into any movie put on. But if he falls asleep on the couch, Kravitz will carry him back to bed. “Movie’s good.”</p><p>      Trust is hard. Letting go is even harder. But Kravitz would do anything for Taako, and Taako would do anything for him in turn. Even if that means he has to make himself vulnerable.</p><p>      Anything for his caregiver.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>mcschnuggles.tumblr.com</p></blockquote></div></div>
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